Susan Empey
Cross Country Head Coach
Susan Empey joined MIHS as a boys and girls cross country assistant coach in 2017 and became the head coach in 2018. She has coached the distance track events since 2018. Susan was awarded the 3A Boys and Girls XC Coach of the Year in 2024 and the NFHS Washington State Boys Cross Country Coach of the Year in both 2024 and 2025.
She knows how fortunate she is to have a team of coaches who love cross country coaching as much as she does.
While not a runner in high school she competed at the state level in swimming all four years at Kennedy High School but fell in love with recreational running while a student at Santa Clara University. After eventually returning to Washington state after living in Japan, California and Virgina, she began running more competitively and qualified twice for the Olympic Trials in the marathon and won several national masters titles in XC, track and road racing. She also qualified twice for the Age-Group World Championships in the ½ Ironman distance. Running, albeit slower, still brings her much joy.
Susan’s two children, Megan and Peter, graduated from MIHS. She and her husband, Gordon, happily still live on Mercer Island.
Eric Goldhammer
Cross Country Coach
Eric Goldhammer has been with MIXC since 2021 and has considered himself a “runner” since about 2015 when he finally started taking it seriously. A soccer player all through high school and a climber all through college and a bit beyond, he’s always had a love for endurance and a passion for the outdoors.
Naturally, once running came into his life, trail running merged the two and quickly became his favorite outlet. When he’s not coaching, teaching English at the high school, grading mounds of essays, or spending time with his family (who’s he’s convinced someday might come to share his love for running), he tries to get out to the mountains for long miles, good conversation, big climbs, and the occasional epic adventure.
He’s completed multiple ultra marathons, but stands firmly by his claim that the few 5k XC races he’s taken on are way harder.
He’s got the utmost respect for everyone who puts on a singlet, laces up, and goes for it.
Gavin Cree
Cross Country Coach
Coach Gavin Cree enters his 10th year as an assistant coach for MIXC. Coach Cree is also going into his 15th year as head coach of the boys basketball program at MIHS, and 19th year overall. He has worked with a number of athletes during his time at school. During the school day, Coach Cree is a PE teacher at MIHS, leading classes such as Yoga, Net Sports, Walking for Fitness, Personal Fitness and more.
Coach Cree’s affinity for cross country comes from the toughness shown by all of the athletes when they give it their all. Coach Cree states, “I love the sportsmanship displayed and appreciation that competitors have for each other. It is really special to see runners show their respect for each other after they cross the finish line.”
Coach Cree is a proud alum of MIHS, having graduated in 2000, where he participated in the boys basketball program as a team captain and state champion. After high school, Coach Cree played 4 years of college basketball at Pomona College in Claremont, CA.
Gavin and his wife, Jessica, celebrated their 10th wedding anniversary this year and busy raising their 3-year-old son, Julius.
Dyan Simon
Cross Country Coach
Dyan Simon is in her second year of coaching Mercer Island cross country, thanks to a nudge from her good friend and running partner, Susan Empey. She enjoys coaching the seasoned runners as much as the new to the sport runners. The camaraderie and spirit on the team are infectious.
She moved to Mercer Island from Chicago with three young children, who eventually all graduated from MIHS. While all her kids played soccer, as young adults they now enjoy long runs with her and competing in road races across the country.
Dyan started running in high school after stopping competitive club gymnastics. The highlight of her high school running career was being Illinois state champion in the 1600 meters. She went on to run cross country, indoor and outdoor track at Brown University.
Her day (and night) job is as a neonatal intensivist in Seattle area NICU’s and she is Medical Director at Overlake Hospital. While taking care of tiny humans is extremely gratifying, it is nice to talk to teenagers and get to share her joy of the sport of running.